Out of his Depth
by Anne Phoenix
Summary: Co-authored by ARITHILIM. When an undercover operation goes wrong, Alex's strength is pushed to the limit. But he is a child playing in a grown-up world... warning: Torture, one-shot, written for Spyfest 2010


Story Notes:

Written for Madam Uniqua for Spyest 2.0 (2010)

-

**Title: **Out of his Depth  
**Characters/Pairing(s):** Alex, Wolf  
**Summary:** When an undercover operation goes wrong, Alex's strength is pushed to the limit. But he is a child playing in a grown-up world...  
**Rating:** R  
**Disclaimer:** All Alex Rider characters herein are the property of Anthony Horowitz and the Penguin Group. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**Warning(s): **Violence, torture  
**Word Count:** ~8,000  
**Author's Notes: **We tried to incorporate all your requests and had great fun writing this story. Hope you like it, Madam Uniqua! Many thanks to C. for beta reading.

**Out of his Depth**

It was night when the plane landed.

A commercial flight, economy class - perfectly normal, perfectly boring. The passengers were mostly businessmen and families taking a holiday.

They dripped through customs, slowly, steadily – the mother with her infant son arriving for cheap surgery, the Irish salesman, the gaggle of Asian tourists; a man travelling under the assumed name Guy Liebenberg, his wife Allison and their teenage-son. It was just another night in Bangkok, and the customs officers lazily checked passports, complacent in the long hours of repetition.

The family and son passed through with no more fanfare than the stamp of a passport. They picked up their luggage and piled in to one of the waiting taxis.

Alex Rider had entered Bangkok.

***

The taxi pulled up in front of a dilapidated house in the city slums nearly an hour later. The traffic had been predictably horrendous.

"Why did you bring your boy?" demanded the burly man who answered the door, glaring at Alex like he was slime.

"He's not _my_ boy," Guy Lieben— well, Alex thought of him by his real name, Lucas, replied. "He's a runner for the company. He can be trusted. Less suspicious when one travels with a child."

The burly guard didn't look pleased, but it obviously wasn't his place to comment, so he grunted and beckoned them through the door into a tall, narrow house. Litter was strewn all around the hallway and only a single light bulb provided a glow of light. Alex drew himself together; he knew he couldn't show any weakness here. Nevertheless, he stuck close to Lucas as they made their way to the back of the house. The living area could have been in any family house in the world - that was until the guard pressed a remote control that caused the bookshelves to slide apart, revealing a secret passage.

It was like stepping into a different world. No dingy, dark hallways here. Bright halogens illuminated a clinical corridor. Not a speck of dirt was in sight, and Alex knew they were at the centre of the operation. Months of planning and infiltration had finally paid off. Lucas and Alex would be staying here for several weeks now, gaining the trust of the drug lords in order to determine the smuggling routes into the UK. They passed glass doors which revealed an expansive laboratory, complete with scientists in lab coats holding test tubes up into the light. At the very end of the corridor, the guard gestured them through a door. He did not follow them in.

A single man stood at the centre of what looked like a well ordered office. Vitoyo Suttikul, the man in charge of the purification process of the drugs in the Thai factories. He was tall and wiry, darker than most of the other men Alex had seen so far. "Mr Liebenberg, you have finally made it to the factory," he greeted. He did not ask about Alex, obviously unwilling to offend his esteemed customer. His English was perfect. No trace of an accent.

Lucas shook his hand. "Very impressive. We do not have such tidy facilities at home. It renews my faith in your wares."

"Only the highest quality ingredients leave my premises." Suttikul nodded and there was some pride in his expression. "We did not always have such luxurious accommodation, but business has been good." He laughed gruffly. "Now let me show you to you quarters. I did not realise you would be bringing ... your son? We have only prepared one room for you."

Dismissing the concern, Lucas smiled to appease him. "I am grateful for your hospitality. I like what I see and the company will be very impressed by all this. I cannot wait to visit the rest of your facilities. Will it be possible to view plantations as well? Not that I have any reservations about the quality of your ingredients," he quickly added.

Suttikul shrugged. "Maybe it is possible. We can take the helicopter out to the breeding greenhouses. Of course you understand that most of our actual ingredients arrive from Afghanistan? We have men out there supervising the process. Perhaps you can meet with them on your way home? Now, Bapit will show you to your room."

Lucas nodded. Alex knew that the plantations were a secondary concern. Military satellites already knew exactly where to find the plants, after all. Greenhouses were in some aspects more interesting, as they were likely to house the breeder plants and the research labs involved in developing new, stronger, more dangerous strains of the plants. This lab alone had to be worth millions, but MI6 was not interested in bringing down the lab ... nor, in fact, in necessarily eliminating the import of drugs into the UK. They were concerned with control. Hence their decision to send in spies to gather information, rather than a Special Forces unit to destroy everything.

The room was well furnished, albeit a little tasteless. It reminded Alex of countless rooms he had been offered by terrorists and murders - they all seemed to share the same affliction of surrounding themselves with gaudy art and stuffed animal heads. Here, an Asian elephant calf; there, a saiga antelope. Endangered species, killed for art. There was a small window that showed a dark alleyway. Alex made a note of the fire ladder. Knowing that the room was likely to have surveillance, Lucas and Alex had already agreed to stick to their cover at all times.

The cover persona, Guy Liebenberg, was the head of operation of an up-and-coming British drug cartel. Alex was playing the part of a runner for the company, taken along to facilitate Guy's travels. In reality, they had arrived with another MI6 agent, but right after airport security, Allison Weekes had gone her own way. Their mission was simple - fact finding, information gathering, surveillance and tending of inter-organisational relations by the undercover agents...

Allison Weekes' role was in some ways the most important of all – someone needed to be able to meet with both their MI6 handler and their contact within the organization without raising suspicion. Her lower position in the company allowed her to do that.

***

Alex walked down the hall, careful to look like he belonged. There was nothing suspicious about him bringing a message to Lucas - just a runner doing his job.

He hurried through the halogen-lit corridors to the administrative area they had visited on the first day. Suttikul's office was here, along with the room that had been given to Guy for the duration of his visit. The door was closed, and Alex raised a hand to knock, but something made him pause. A door farther down the hall was partially open, and he could hear the murmur of voices leaking through. He glanced up and down the deserted corridor and made his decision.

Quietly, he walked up to the doorway and listened in.

"And this has all of the information stored on it?" the deep, rumbling voice of Vitoyo Suttikul asked.

"Yes, yes, everything's there. The future of our operations depends on it," the first man added nervously.

Alex peeked in through the open inch and saw a small flash drive being handed over.

"Now, where's my payment?" the man asked.

Suttikul paused and reached inside his jacket. "It's right here." He withdrew a silenced hand gun and the unknown man could only raise his hands and step back, before two rounds pierced right between his eyes.

Alex pulled back, swallowing hard. He'd seen people killed so many times, but somehow, the sick feeling in his stomach never really went away.

But then he heard footsteps as Suttikul approached the door. He quickly and silently walked back to the door of Lucas' office, pretending he'd only just arrived. He raised his hand to knock.

"Ah, it's you," Suttikul said, and Alex turned to see him closing the door to his office. "Here to see Guy?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, sir."

Suttikul smiled. "Your company is lucky to have such a dedicated worker as you. If all your employees are like you, this will be a very profitable alliance."

Alex mustered a smile back, though it made him sick to do so. "Thank you, sir."

Suttikul clapped Alex on the shoulder as he walked past, and it was all he could do to not flinch away. This was a hand had just pulled a trigger to kill a man in cold blood. After the man had given him what he wanted. _What he wanted..._ Alex suddenly remembered the flash drive. Suttikul had put it in a drawer of his desk before retrieving his gun. Something worth killing over.

They had to get hold of it, Alex realised. Finally, he knocked on Lucas' door.

***

They didn't get to speak about it until later.

It was after they'd returned to the hotel and eaten dinner that Lucas claimed he wanted fresh air and told Alex to accompany him. Walking the streets, at least they could ensure they weren't being bugged.

"There's a flash drive, and whatever's on it is important," Alex told him as soon as they were clear.

Lucas didn't even look at him. "You heard this?"

"The door to Suttikul's office was open," Alex explained.

"Did you see the drive?"

"Yeah," Alex confirmed. "It was silver, with some sort of logo on the side. Suttikul put it in the top right drawer of his desk."

Lucas nodded. "Good work."

"You'll get it?"

_"I'll attempt to retrieve it tonight."_

***

The plan was simple enough; Alex would provide some form of distraction while Lucas broke into Suttikul's office and stole the flash drive. Lucas would then make an excuse to the leave the compound – Alex had flushed when Lucas decided the safest excuse would be to say he wanted a taste of Thai girls for the night – and would hand the drive over to Allison Weekes.

Simplicity had both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand there were no complicated story to keep straight, no muscle wrenching climbing or running ... on the other hand, if Suttikul got even an inkling of their betrayal he was likely to kill them both without further ado. So it was hard for Alex to shake his anxiety as he made his way into the living area of the factory-house. He knew he looked out of place – a pale, blond child amidst the hardened gangsters – but he kept his cool. He would need it to survive the planned _distraction_. He helped himself to some dinner first, but he wasn't hungry. He was actually keeping track of time, imagining Lucas waiting in the room, watching the minutes tick by on the large wall clock. It was about ten minutes, though they felt long, before Vitoyo Suttikul finally arrived. He cast a glance at Alex as he started eating. "Where is Guy?"

Alex shrugged. "A bit jet lagged, I think. And he was hoping to make the most of his evening."

One the men laughed loudly. "Just like all Western tourists," he said. "Are you not interested in going out tonight?"

"Guy said I had to stay inside at all time. Unless I'm with him, of course."

Suttikul exchanged a look with the guard and they both smirked. "He is right of course. It is dangerous for you out there. How old are you?"

Alex looked down at his food. They were making this too easy for him! "Fourteen," he said in a low voice, feeling his cheeks fill with colour. He couldn't help but remember the last time he'd been in this city. He'd been kidnapped and stripped. He vividly recalled the horror he'd felt when he'd imagined what his captors had planned for him ... and the relief when he'd understood it was _only_ a fight to the death. Oh yes, Alex was no idiot and he had a very good idea of what some of the people around here thought of a young, blond fourteen year old Western boy. He looked up and pinned the guard with his gaze. "Guy said no harm would come to me here," he said bluntly.

Suttikul dismissed him with a gesture. "We look after our guests," he assured.

And Alex seized his chance.

_"I can look after myself."_

Suttikul and the guard burst out laughing again. One of the other men shook his head with quiet mirth.

"I can!" Alex insisted. "I have learnt karate!"

He knew he sounded stupid, like a bragging child, but that was exactly the impression he wanted to convey. He needed to keep their attention on him for as long as possible. Suttikul had almost finished eating, and Alex knew he'd want to return to his office before long. "Go on, fight me!" he challenged.

They laughed at him again, amused, mocking. Suttikul stood up. "I will not allow you to come to harm. Look at yourself. You are half the size of my men!"

He started for the bookcase that hid the entrance to the compound. Alex jumped to his feet. He wasn't even sure what he was doing any more, just that he needed to slow Suttikul down by whatever means possible. The guards stopped laughing and there was a moment of tension in the room, and then suddenly the bookshelf moved to the side. Lucas stepped in. He looked a little out of the breath, but Alex could see the glint of success in his expression.

Suttikul stared at him intent, then gestured towards Alex. "You should keep a leash on your little friend here. He is looking for trouble." Then he laughed as though it was all one big joke, and disappeared through the bookcase.

Guy gave a dramatic sigh, addressing the guards as much as Alex. "I am going out for the night, boy. I expect you to behave. Stay inside, stay out of the trouble. Do not annoy our hosts!"

Alex looked sullen. He knew his cover character would most likely be a troubled teenager. Runner for drug dealers at such a young hinted at some serious social issues. He shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

After Lucas had left, Alex felt a flush of relief. He knew the MI6 agent was a professional; things were in hand; going well. His appetite returned a little and he finally settled to eat, avoiding eye contact with the guards. When he'd finished, he wandered back into the compound and made his way to his room. Suttikul was coming down the other way.

"Guy has left?" Suttikul wanted to know.

Alex nodded. He tried to continue on his way, but Suttikul was blocking his path. "Do you know where he has gone?"

Alex shook his head.

"To meet someone, perhaps?"

Alex felt the first thud of fear. "A girl, probably," he admitted.

Suttikul looked thoughtful. "And I don't suppose you would know why Guy Liebenberg, a man who has worked in close collaboration with us for a number of years, would have broken into my office?"

Alex looked up in panic. "What? No! He wouldn't! I don't understand!"

Suttikul sneered. "You're too young to understand, little boy. I will wait for your boss to return and then I have some questions to ask him. You will stay in your room. Understood?"

Alex nodded and tried to look calm, but his pulse was racing. Suttikul must have had surveillance in his office. He needed to warn Lucas not to return to the compound, but how could he do this without endangering himself when every room in the place was bugged? He hurried to his room, taking the stairs two at a time. The only chance he had was to send a text message and hope the surveillance in place on the compound was not able to intercept them. He knew he was taking a huge risk, breaching every security protocol.

_**They know you spy. Stay away.**_

It was a simply message, but Alex knew it could be signing his death warrant if it was traced back to him. He looked out of the window and was horrified to see that Suttikul now had armed men in the street, effectively blocking any escape attempt ... and presumably waiting for Lucas' return. Their cover was blown, there was no question about it. Alex knew he needed to call for backup now, before it was too late. He only hoped that Lucas could look after himself whereas he was. Picking up his mobile phone again, he pressed the red button that he knew would alert MI6 to the failure of the mission. They would send someone to retrieve their agents ... hopefully before it was too late!

The following hour was the longest of Alex's life. He paced the room, occasionally checking the road below to double check that the guards were still there. He dreaded the return to Lucas - what if the agent had not received his warning? And then suddenly a very welcome sound made its way to his ears - it was the familiar rumble of a Super Lynx 300, a highly athletic assault helicopter, used by the British armed forces.

Within minutes the door to his room blew open and two guards stormed in. "What is going on?" one of the men demanded, poking Alex with the tip of his semi-automatic. Alex shook his head desperately. "I don't know! Nothing to do with me!"

They eyed him up, clearly wondering if a child could be involved in the betrayal or if that idea was simply too ludicrous to contemplate. They didn't have long to make their decision, however, as already the first gunshots were piercing the building. "We need to get out," the man hissed and Alex realised that they were including him in their escape. A colleague, not an enemy. He hurried alongside them, keeping close and hoping that the soldiers in the helicopter would be able to tell him apart from his captors when the time came.

They joined up with Suttikul near the offices. He had no time for Alex now and the four of them broke into a run as the gunfire noise increased. Suttikul's men were not going down easily.

"To the lower floors," Suttikul snapped, flinging open a door Alex had not yet been through. It revealed a dark flight of stairs that seemed to wind down forever. Of course, the compound probably extended far underground. Feeling more and more like a lamb going to slaughter, Alex made his way down the stairs, keeping up with the guards.

Suttikul's radio crackled and someone screamed something in a language Alex didn't understand. Suttikul's eyes fell on Alex, however. "It is British military – they are storming the compound." He hardly had the time to say those words when the door above them blew right off its hinges. Alex looked up and almost swallowed his tongue with surprise. Two soldiers had broken into the stairway behind them. One of them was instantly recognisable. The guards wasted no time in shooting at their pursuers, and one of the soldiers went down. In the chaos, Alex couldn't see which one.

The word blurted out before he could stop himself, emotion and panic mingling and taking control of his brain. _"Wolf!"_

The world seemed to stand still for an instant. The guards stared at Alex like he was a strange creature and then Suttikul had grabbed the front of his shirt and was dragging him physically down the corridor. "Keep this area secured!" he ordered. "And find Tony. Send him down here. Take some prisoners if you can. Not too many – kill the rest. They are outnumbered!" And then he hurled Alex into a room at the very end of the corridor and slammed the door behind him.

It seemed to be some kind of a holding cell. It stank of bleach, but no disinfectant on earth could have completely eradicated the stench of suffering and death that seemed to have permeated every brick of the room. Alex wasted no time in pacing the perimeter of the room, running his hand along the wall in the hope of finding some weakness in the structure of the room. It was quickly obvious that no such weakness existed.

Although the heat outside was tropical, Alex felt cold. His jacket has been ripped during the fight, leaving him in a light cotton t-shirt. He hugged himself as he sank to the floor at the far end of the room, as far as possible from the massive wooden door. He shivered as he waited ... for something to happen, for someone to come.

He didn't have to wait long, however. His heart rate had barely returned to its baseline rhythm, when the door suddenly swung open again. Alex jumped to his feet, hands automatically clenching into tight fists; but it was not one of the drug lords who entered. Instead another man was pushed into the cell. He was only slightly taller than Alex, but about twice a broad. His sharp, watchful features were instantly recognisable.

"Wolf!" Alex exclaimed for the second time that day. For a split second, he felt a flood of despair. "Are the others ... I mean ... is anyone ..." He trailed off, unable to finish the awful thought.

Wolf seemed to pull himself together. "It's chaos out there; smoke and fire everywhere," he finally said. "We didn't expect them to be so well prepared for our arrival." His eyes did not focus on Alex as he spoke. He was clearly locked in the memory of what he had just seen. "What the fuck were you thinking, calling out my codename like that? Do you have a death wish?"

Alex did not defend himself. Wolf was right. There was however one thing that still concerned him greatly. "Why are we here? I mean, why didn't Suttikul kill me? And you for that matter? What do they want from us?" His eyes fell onto a brown pattern of sprays on the far wall. "What do they want to _know_?"

Less than half an hour later, Alex found out exactly what they wanted to know.

The first bad news was that the soldiers had been forced to retreat under the onslaught of Suttikul's men. The second bad news was a man called Tony Wattana. Vitoyo Suttikul proudly introduced him as Thailand's most skilled interrogator. Trained by the military during the conflict with Vietnam, then retired to a more sedate life after the war, Wattana now earned his keep in the mercenary scene. He was not a large man; in fact compared to Wolf, he was quite a small man. But despite his age, he looked like he was made of steel - his body seemed rigid, strong, under full control. He smiled as he looked over Alex and Wolf, and Alex could have sworn that it was a smile of hungry anticipation.

"So it is simple," Suttikul was explaining. "You tell me who helped you get inside my organisation, who set up the first contact, and what your agents are planning on doing with the information you stole."

"I won't sabotage the mission," Alex snapped back with more bravura than he felt. Beside him, he could have sworn he heard Wolf snort.

Suttikul shrugged. "You do not make it easy for yourselves. Tony, start with the soldier."

Wattana's lips twisted into a smile as he nodded to one of the guards. The burliest of the guards stepped motioned for Wolf to sit in the chair that that had carried in. It was an ordinary high-backed wooden chair, but there were crusty stained tarnishing the wood. Alex didn't have to ask to know what they were. His pulse raced as he imagined Wolf in that chair. _"Stop!"_

Everyone in the room, including Wolf, seemed to freeze. Alex licked his dry lips. "He doesn't know anything," he said. "He's just a soldier. Does as he's told."

He knew that in any other situation Wolf would have ripped his head off. Right now the man stared at him with incredulity. "What the fuck are you doing, Cub?"

"Fixing my mistakes," Alex snapped. To Suttikul he said: "He won't tell you what you want to know because he hasn't a clue. And I won't tell you because I _won't._" Even as he said the word, he knew they were incredibly foolish, but he refused to let Wolf be tortured for information he didn't possess. The SAS unit would be back for them once they realised Wolf had been captured. So all they needed was _time._ And Alex knew he could resist torture. He'd been to hell and back many times, and he'd never broken.

He tried not to struggle as they forced him into the chair and bounds his ankles to the chair legs and his wrists to the armrests with rope. They'd just finished tying him when he heard the familiar click of handcuffs. Turning his head to the side he could see that Wolf had been cuffed to a ring in the wall. He looked absolutely livid, and, like Alex, he seemed to be making an effort not to struggle.

"So," Suttikul started, pulling out a serrated knife. "Oh, little boy, no need to look worried, _yet._" He handed the knife to the burly guard, who advanced on Alex. Having no clue what to expect, Alex tensed. His eyes were glued to the knife as it came towards his neck. He tried to move back but was completely restrained. The knife touched his collar bone.

"Don't touch him!" Wolf screamed from the back of the cell, but to Alex every noise had became part of an irrelevant buzz. He had attention only for the cold metal that rested against his skin. And then suddenly, the guard brought the knife, slicing Alex's t-shirt in half, right down the middle. The fabric parted easily, evidencing the sharpness of the blade. Alex shivered in equal parts of cold and fear. He felt exposed, his chest bared for all to see.

Suttikul chuckled. "So, as I was saying. Who helped you to get into my organisation? Who gave you the details for your cover?"

Alex said nothing. His heart thumped wildly and he wondered if he would have given Suttikul the answer if he'd known it. Maybe not on first demand, but as Wattana pulled a long metal rod from his black bag, Alex thought that the price of information was really quite a low one. As it was, he knew he had to be careful not to let Suttikul become aware of his lack of knowledge. If he outlived his usefulness, then...

He glared defiantly. "I can't answer that question."

Wattana's finger glided up the down the metal rod. It was about thirty centimetres long, with an old wooden handle on one end. The other end finished in what looked like a little flat ring. Wattana smiled to himself, as though privy to some private joke. With his thumb he flicked a small button almost hidden in the wooden handle. A long hiss seemed to come from the rod and then Alex finally understood – the flat ring at the end was heating up, fast. A spasm of fear overtook him and visions of begging for mercy invaded his mind.

"Who gave you the details for your cover? You could not have organised your infiltration without inside help."

Alex smiled weakly. "That's true. We couldn't have done it without help. But you can go whistle."

His throat felt tight as he spoke. It was like something was cutting off his air supply, making him faint, stealing his courage. He knew what Wattana was about to do, but that didn't make it any less horrific. Alex screamed as the red hot metal pressed into his skin, just under his left nipple. He screamed louder than he'd ever screamed before, letting all his rage and fear go with the pain. It burnt. It sizzled - he could hear and _smell_ it. He felt nauseous and it was only shock that stopped him from throwing up.

_"... fucking touch him!"_ Wolf was shouting, threatening their captors with all degrees of pain.

Alex closed his eyes and let himself float for a moment. When he opened them, the cell was just as dank, just as terrifying. He whimpered a little as the metal was removed. He could see a flap of skin hanging from the ring, where it had come clean away from his flesh. This time he couldn't stop himself from retching, but he managed to turn his head enough that he didn't throw up over himself.

Suttikul looked pleased. "That was a warning," he assured. "Next time, I will ask Tony to hold it for twice as long. And then for three times as long. I will ask him to burn through flesh and muscle; maybe to burn a hole right through you, little boy."

Alex felt another rise of nausea. He clenched his jaw. "I'm not telling you," he spat, though the words came out more faintly than he'd planned. He sagged in the ropes, not daring to close his eyes, yet not wanting to watch as Wattana prepared the metal ring once more. And it was with horror that he realised his eyes were filling with tears. He blinked furiously, refusing to be controlled by fear, but it was a losing battle. As the rod neared his chest again, this time hovering a little higher, just over the nipple, a loud sob suddenly escaped him. Salty tears rolled down his face and Alex realised he was losing control, losing himself, losing ...

"No!" he exclaimed, sucking his stomach in, like that would somehow take him farther away from this torture. "No, please... I can't..."

Suttikul put up a single hand and the metal rod stopped moving. Wattana, however, remained as focussed as before, obviously ready to continue his job as soon as he was bidden. "You have something to say, little boy?"

Alex trembled, his eyes fixated on the rod. "I don't know who provided the intelligence," he finally admitted. His voice was shaky and he hoped Suttikul could see there was no way he would have been able to lie. He would have given anything at that moment, just to make the torture go away. Suttikul looked thoughtful, but then he waved on Wattana.

"No!" Alex managed to screech a split second before the red hot metal was shoved onto his skin again. He felt like he'd been stabbed; it burnt so badly he couldn't think of anything. He could hear a wail echoing around the room, but wasn't sure if it coming from him or from Wolf. Everything was blurry, detached. He couldn't, _couldn't_ stand this ...

_"Please!" _he roared, pitch hysterical, tears so strong now he felt like they too were burning him, etching raw paths onto his face.

Cold water hit his face and he realised he must have lost consciousness for a moment. He wished he was able to black out again, to get away from this reality. Suttikul was right in front of him, holding an empty glass. Wattana had retreated, taking his horrible metal device with him. Alex could also hear Wolf's ragged breathing behind him and for a moment he wondered if he could suggest they exchange places. He couldn't do this again. He didn't dare look down at his chest, but he could feel the damage. It _burnt!_ And there was moisture on his belly – blood, sweat, water, he had no clue... Probably all three.

"Perhaps," Suttikul suggested, "you could tell me what you _do_ know?"

Alex panted. What did he know? "We were sent by the British military intelligence," he finally offered. Behind him Wolf screamed at him to shut up and Alex felt a rush of anger. It wasn't _Wolf_ who was being fried like meat, was it? "I don't know the contact. Please, I promise! But the information Lucas _– Guy –_ stole is for MI6. They want to gain control of your routes. Ultimately to destroy your plants at source to control local populations, too."

"Where is your contact in this city?"

Alex shook his head. But when Wattana took a single step towards him, he felt the terror nibbling at the edges of his sanity. "She's in a hotel! The Grand Hyatt!"

"Cub, don't say another word," Wolf ordered loudly.

But Alex's attention was focussed on Wattana and the glowing red metal ring. "Allison Weekes, room four-oh-two," he finished, hating himself even as he gave them the information.

Suttikul sneered. "You are pathetic," he hissed. "Pathetic little boy..."

With those words, he gestured to his men. They all left the room, leaving Alex and Wolf in their respective restraints.

For a long while, neither of them said nothing at all. Alex could feel his cheeks burning, and it wasn't just with pain. He was glad he couldn't see Wolf, for he wouldn't have been able to handle the accusation in his eyes. In the end it was Wolf who spoke first. "It's a fucking joke, sending a kid on a mission like this."

Alex shivered. He wanted to retort, but he knew Wolf was right. He hadn't been ready for this. "Not like it was my choice to come," he mumbled instead, shocked at how raw and broken his voice sounded. A wave of dizziness made him drop his head for a moment; the pain from the wounds on his chest was intense, overwhelming. Alex knew if they threatened him again, he'd give them anything they wanted. He heard Wolf's handcuffs clanking as Wolf tested their strength. "We're fucked," Wolf finally determined.

There was nothing to disagree with. Alex felt the tears rising again, but this time managed to bite down on his shame. "If," he started weakly, waiting to have Wolf's attention before continuing. "If we could get at my necklace, my cros—"

"What, you going to start praying now?" Wolf interrupted rudely.

"It's a lock pick," Alex explained. He remembered rolling his eyes as Smithers handed him the jewellery box with the fine gold necklace. The cross was a lock pick, but the necklace itself was made out of carbon fibre – it could easy take the weight of a grown man, probably two. If only they could get out of his cell, Alex felt sure they'd be able to escape. If he could even walk, that was ... but he knew he couldn't dwell on the pain. Not now.

"Fucking lot of use, that is, Cub," Wolf snapped. "Unless you can get out of these ropes, we're not going anywhere."

He only needed one hand to throw the necklace to Wolf. The knots in the ropes around his wrists were skilful, but Alex had been struggling when they'd pushed him into the chair, and that gave him a tiny bit of slack in the rope. Ignoring the chaffing, he started wriggling his arm back and forth trying to gain some extra space in the restraints. It was slow work and Alex wasn't even sure if it was working, but he continued despite the rope cutting deeper and deeper into his wrists. His whole arm was soon slick with blood. It didn't slow him down; if anything, it distracted him from the horror of his situation and he feel into a mechanical motion not caring that he was tearing skin and flesh...

"Cub?"

_"Cub!"_

Alex wondered how many times Wolf had called without him noticing. "What?" he finally gasped irritably.

"Stop that."

Alex didn't even slow down. He knew what Wolf was thinking; that Alex was pathetic, useless, weak. And he was _right!_ But Alex could still save the situation, even if it cost him the use of his hand. And suddenly, although he hardly dared to believe it at first, the rope seemed to have slackened. The knot had been pushed as far as it could go, and while it was tighter than ever, it left Alex will more room to manoeuvre.

Hardly haring to hope, he yanked his arm backwards and— Yes, it was slipping! It was moving! With a final struggle, Alex managed to pull it free of the restraints. He didn't need to look at it when he could feel the damage, but the pain had been worth it. With a cry of victory he pulled the chain over his head and twisted his body as far as it would go. He could now just see Wolf, though thankfully he couldn't make out his expression.

"Be careful," Wolf warned, as Alex prepared to throw the chain. But he needn't have worried. Alex's aim was accurate and the chain landed right in front of Wolf who had no trouble in stretching out a leg to drag it towards himself. Leaving Wolf to try to free himself, Alex went to work on his other wrist. His right wrist was throbbing and his fingers were clumsy, slow, but he nevertheless managed to unhook the knot in less than minutes. In that time, Wolf had also succeeded in freeing himself. He helped Alex untie the rope around his ankles. He also pointedly did not look Alex in the eye and only cast a brief glance at his terrible injuries.

"Here," he offered, shrugged out of his black jacket. "You'd better wear something."

As soon as Alex accepted the jacket, Wolf turned his attention to the door, going back to work with the lock pick. They both knew there was a chance there'd be a guard outside, but between the security of leaving their prisoners restrained and the urgency of the situation outside, it was even more likely that no one would have stayed behind to guard the cell. Indeed, the corridor outside was empty, its halogen lights as blinding as ever. Leaving behind only Alex's shredded t-shirt and a splatter of blood on the floor, Alex and Wolf escaped from their prison.

"Which way is out?" Wolf asked, relying on Alex's knowledge of the layout of the factory.

Alex thought of the long clinical corridors, the hidden passage in the bookshelf, the ordinary house behind... "I need my phone. Any phone," he said instead.

Wolf gave him a withered look. "You saying you'd rather call for help than get the fuck out of here?"

Alex held his mangles wrist tightly as he gathered his courage. "I just think we should let someone know we're alive." _Or we soon won't be,_ was the unfinished part of the sentence. Wolf's dark eyes flashed angrily as he accepted this was a risk they needed to take, but he obviously didn't like agreeing with Alex. "Okay, to the offices, then."

Once they'd ascended the dark staircase, the compound was so familiar to Alex by now, he could have led the way with this eyes shut. It was lucky, really, as the burning pain in his chest was enough to distract him and he kept finding his mind wandering freely. Signs of the attempted assault where everywhere – gunshots in the walls, blood on the floor...

When they were finally in view of Suttikul's office, he pointed it out to Wolf. Then Alex fell behind as he approached the room as quietly as they could. The door was closed and it was impossible to know whether Suttikul was inside or not. They stood on either side of the door and counted to three. Neither was armed, so they had only the element of surprise on their side. At three, Wolf spun against the door, cracking it open with a swift blow. Alex ducked into the room as fast as he could, fists clenched, ready for a fight.

But the office was empty. Alex had never been inside it before. He remembered watching covertly as a man had been murdered here – the rug must have been changed since then as there was no trace of blood. The phone stood where he remembered, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a dial tone on the other end. He was about to start dialling the number Crawley had once given him as a direct line to MI6, when Wolf yanked the received from his hand.

"For fuck's sake, Cub. Haven't you done enough damage today?"

He jabbed at the keys and barked tersely into the phone: "Seven, two, two, four, oh, five, three, seven, four." He waited for a moment, obviously waiting for his call to be put through. Then: "Yeah, it's me. I'm alive and so's Cub. We're still in the factory. Okay."

He hung up, glaring at Alex like he's scored some kind of silent victory over him. "We need to get onto the roof," he finally said.

"There's a fire escape that runs along the side of the house," Alex offered. He couldn't help but wonder if he was in any state to climb. His wrist hurt so badly now he was finding it hard to move his fingers and the burns on his chest seemed to rob his breath. He also wondered if Wolf would leave him behind if he was too slow. "C'mon," Alex muttered, leading the way once more. He would _not_ be left behind!

It was only a short way to the living quarters, but every step was filled with apprehension. It was impossible to know how many men remained inside the building. Alex was also feeling more and more about of breath with each passing minute. The wounds on his chest felt like they were still burning; like his skin was on fire. He knew he was losing strength fast and several times he paused while his vision blurred in and out of focus. He pretended to be remembering which way to go. No way would he let Wolf know just how bad he was feeling.

Luckily they made it to the room Alex and Lucas had occupied without encountering anyone. They were on the first floor, which meant they had to climb up two floors to reach the roof. The street outside was deserted and dark. Wolf climbed out first, testing the metal rungs of the escape ladder before starting his ascent. Alex was not far behind, but his hand gave a stab of pain as he closed it around the first rung and he knew this was going to be a long and painful climb. He kept his eyes firmly on Wolf as he moved, needing the visual stability just to convince himself not to give up. He imagined was Suttikul would do to him if he got caught again; what injuries Wattana might inflict with the metal rod ... but it was no use; his muscles were not responding any more, and it was with shock that Alex realised he hadn't moved for a while. He was simply hanging off the ladder, frozen like a statue.

He vaguely registered shouts coming from inside the house, heard the plea from Wolf to hurry up. He wanted to take the next rung, but his hand wouldn't move. It was trembling badly and for a moment Alex considered simply letting go and letting himself fall down two stories. He heard the rumble of a helicopter in the distance. So near but yet so far!

"Come on, Cub!" shouted Wolf again. _"Shit!"_

Alex saw Wolf descending the ladder two rungs at a time, bearing down on him. He shrieked as a hand grabbed his ankle and started dragging him back down. But it was the jump-start Alex needed – survival instinct took over and he kicked out to get rid of his captor. The grip loosened and Alex took the opportunity to start moving again, forcing his aching muscles to do his bidding one last time. He looked back and saw Suttikul's dark face, twisted in fury and hatred. The helicopter was overhead now, rotors creating a whirlwind of air all around them. And then Wolf was scaling over him like he wasn't even there and was bearing down on Suttikul. Alex wanted to watch the scuffle, but the trapeze of the helicopter had fallen in front of him. Knowing this might be his only change, he grabbed it tightly, using what was left of his strength to hang on as he was hauled up into the chopper.

"Get in," a soldier shouted at him. But Alex no longer had the strength to do anything at all but cling to the trapeze, shaking like a leaf. He knew shock was settling in; knew he'd lost a lot of blood. He felt hands dragging him into the cabin and prying his hands off the bar. Someone was putting a blanket over his shoulders and Alex managed to smile gratefully even as he felt himself collapse against the side of the chopper.

Beyond the noise of the rotors, he could hear the sounds of a fight outside – Wolf must still have been engaged with Suttikul. But not for long. With the military backup, Suttikul must have known it was time to flee. Men like him hadn't survived for so long by making the wrong decisions. Alex heard cheering as Wolf was pulled into the helicopter. He seemed unharmed.

"Thank fuck you came when you did," Wolf panted.

The soldier clapped him on the back. "We were coming back this way, anyway."

Alex's ears perked up, listening in as the soldier continued. "We have orders to destroy this place, now that the whole operation is compromised."

Alex let the news sink in. They'd only just made it out alive. It had been too close for comfort.

"Hey, Cub," Wolf suddenly called. Alex startled and pulled himself together, cracking open an eye. He expected abuse, but was surprised when Wolf shrugged. "You did all right, back there."

Alex snorted. "Did I? I thought I compromised everything?"

"Yeah. But you held it together to get us out of there after what they did to you. Which reminds me..." He quickly informed the pilot of Alex's interrogation and told him to contact the right authorities to let them know the drug lords now knew where Allison Weekes was located. "She'll be fine. Don't worry. That bastard would have wanted to deal with her himself, so it's unlikely they've made a move yet."

Alex felt a flood of relief. No one else would have to die because of his stupidity. He rolled his head on his shoulders. It was feeling so heavy. "Thanks for saving me," he mumbled, feeling the familiar tinge of embarrassment colouring his cheeks. Wolf looked similarly embarrassed. He turned away and addressed the other soldiers. "So are you bombing this place or what?"

And despite his pain, Alex smiled as he heard the explosion rip through the compound below. It was time to go home...

**The End**

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